


fantasy prompt fills!

by amaelamin



Category: VIXX
Genre: Fantasy, Fluff and Crack, M/M, Magic, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-01-04 05:51:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18337478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amaelamin/pseuds/amaelamin
Summary: a thank-you for readers being patient and understanding about my pacific rim au issues <333 prompts collected at amaelaminfic @ twitter.





	1. 'merperson caught in a fisher's net: leohyuk'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOOOOOO this first one started off as a simple prompt fill and has now taken over my life. the little mermaid is my favouritest disney movie of all time bc of the music and oh my god. I WILL COME BACK TO THIS IT SHALL BE WRITTEN OUT FULLY I AM SO EXCITED.

Sanghyuk sighed, trying to rest his chin woefully in his hand but missing by a large margin due to the rocking of the small boat. He tried again, managing to look less silly this time. This was really not how he imagined spending his first summer break back from college.

At first he was looking forward so much to seeing his family after being apart for almost a year - leaving his seaside village to go to school in Seoul was huge and so exciting and everything he’d ever wanted but; his mother’s cooking, being able to freely speak his dialect without the worldly Seoul natives condescendingly calling him ‘cute’, being able to sit and talk with his father when he came back from working all day out at sea - he’d missed all of this with a longing so strong some days the feeling of his heart pulling him in the direction of home scared him.

However.

If there was one thing he hadn’t missed, it was fishing for squid alone in the nighttime. It wasn’t even challenging - squid were so stupid they never evolved a fear for the lights the fishermen rigged alongside their boats to attract the squid up to the surface so they could be easily scooped up. To say squid were ‘caught’ was an overstatement. They were more or less just collected.

He’d already filled six of the ten buckets he had with him as part of his weekly chores - who cared if the baby of the family was back home for vacation? Chores were Chores - and was about to stand up to pick up his large squid scoop once more when the boat rocked again, and much more violently this time. Sanghyuk didn’t stumble very much; _if a fisherman can’t keep his balance on the water he might as well go be a farmer on land_ , he thought fondly of one of the tons of supposedly ‘wise’ sayings his father liked to come up with. Sanghyuk may not be a fisherman or have any plans of continuing in his father’s footsteps but he’d been out on his father’s boats since he was a baby and a little aggressive wave action wasn’t going to phase him. Until the next time the boat rocked and Sanghyuk fell hard sideways, that is - because the boat wasn’t merely being tossed about by the waves. Something had definitely pulled the boat downwards on the starboard side.

Getting gingerly to his feet Sanghyuk wondered what to do. The nets on that side of the boat, let down as usual overnight, could have been caught on something that was yanking the boat along with the current but that didn’t explain how the boat was being pulled _down_  - the small boat wasn’t that heavy, but what kind of fish could be caught in the nets that was that strong? Sanghyuk bit his lip. What if a shark..?

 _Don’t be stupid_ , he immediately scolded himself. There were no huge killer sharks in these waters. A big enough-desperate enough fish could have produced a pull like that. Definitely. And maybe it was just rocks snagging the nets. That’s a definite possibility.

Sanghyuk pressed the button for the small mechanised rig to start hauling in the nets, and the moment he did the strongest yank yet caused two of his squid buckets to tip over sending slippery squid sliding everywhere. The pulley system supporting the nets whirred dully, slowly and steadily reeling them in as Sanghyuk had to stop them from getting tangled while also trying his best to avoid stepping on any squid which were frantically squirting out black ink all over his father’s boat. Sanghyuk cursed in exasperation, thinking of the extra work he’ll have to do later picking up all the squid and cleaning the boat, already feeling stupid because of course there wasn’t going to be anything in the nets -

A gorgeously iridescent tail flopped over the side of the boat, the deep blue-green flashing in the moonlight. Sanghyuk stared dumbly at it, stopping the pulleys as if in a dream. The scales of the fish - huge, lost within the folds of the nets hanging outside the boat - glistened so beautifully it took his breath away, and he almost didn’t even realise he had his hand out to touch the stunning tail until an imperious voice rang out, making him snatch back his hand.

‘Dare to touch me and bear the fatal consequences, insolent human!’

Sanghyuk blinked.

‘Get me out!’ the voice demanded, and the aforementioned nets wriggled. ‘You will pay greatly for this!’

Sanghyuk tentatively stepped forward, having the presence of mind to grab a nearby pole instead of using his hands to try to separate the nets and see just what it was that was yelling at him in ways that reminded him of the ancient royal dramas his mother loved watching.

A frustrated groan came from the nets once again along with a lot more wriggling, and the high but elegant voice decided to switch tactics.

‘If you get me out of here I will give you whatever you want. You’ll be rich. I know every single lost shipwrecked treasure there is. It’s all yours. Just get me _loose_!’

‘Who are you?’ Sanghyuk asked carefully, using the pole to move folds of netting out of the way.

‘I am the crown prince!’

‘...of the fish?’ Sanghyuk asked, just as he pulled aside the final flap of netting and came face to face with a merman twisted like a pretzel in the nets, upside down and trussed up well. Sanghyuk’s jaw dropped.

‘No! I am not crown prince of the _fish_!’ the merman yelled, his tail thrashing in anger. ‘How dare you!’

When he received no reply from a speechless gawking Sanghyuk the merman stopped and glared. ‘Get. Me. Out.’

Sanghyuk paused a moment longer, just to take it all in under the furious gaze of the upside-down merman going red in the face. A _merman_.

‘My grandma used to tell me the stories, but I never thought they were real,’ he breathed. ‘You’re real.’

Taekwoon begun thrashing once more, clearly hoping it would somehow shake him loose - the boat shaking along with him.

‘Stop! You’re just making the net wind around you tighter!’ Sanghyuk burst out, finally being jolted into action as he noticed the red welts on the merman’s body from the burn of the net on his skin the more he struggled. The creature was severely entangled so just cutting the net around him wouldn’t work - Sanghyuk pressed the button on the pulleys to release the nets back into the sea but reached out to grab on to the merman by the closest thing to Sanghyuk; his tail. He pulled on the tail to a background litany of indignant complaints until the merman was close enough for Sanghyuk to carry into the boat, and then stumbled backwards onto the deck with the merman in his arms.

‘Well, isn’t this romantic?’ Sanghyuk murmured, feeling hysterical, and the merman started yelling at him again.

Ten minutes later and with quick work with Sanghyuk’s swiss army knife - to the total destruction of his father’s net, Sanghyuk thought despairingly - and the de-netted merman was sitting up the right way on the deck of Sanghyuk’s father’s boat, surrounded by squid ink.

The merman looked around him and sniffed in clear indication of what he thought of the situation, but Sanghyuk was undeterred.

‘Are you - are you really the crown prince of the merpeople?’

‘Yes,’ the merman stuck his nose in the air.

‘Really?’

‘How _dare_ you question m-‘

‘Alright, alright. What’s your name then, _your Highness_?’

‘You may call me Prince Taekwoon. And if you’re thinking about hurting me-’

‘I’m not going to hurt you,’ Sanghyuk replied quickly, taking in Taekwoon’s unearthly pale skin before it morphed into the beautiful scales he was admiring earlier from the waist down. ‘Where - How deep down do you live? You look like you haven’t seen the sun in your life.’

‘Far down enough where you interfering humans don’t go,’ Taekwoon answered sweetly.

‘So what were you doing so close to the surface that you got caught in my nets?’ Sanghyuk countered, watching Taekwoon’s wet black hair glint in the reflection of the boat’s squid lamps.

Taekwoon made a face. ‘I was battling a shark.’

‘..What?’

‘A huge shark. Ten metres long. It was swimming away from me in fear and I would have caught it if not for your cursed nets.’

‘What kind of shark?’

Taekwoon blinked.

‘What kind of shark was it? There are no sharks in these parts.’

‘It might have been a giant squid.’

‘There aren’t any giant squid here either. Just the regular kind. And giant squid don’t ever come up so near to the surface, either-’

‘I got lost, alright?’ Taekwoon burst out in annoyance. ‘I was trying to use the moon to navigate.’

‘Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?’

‘I don’t have to tell you everything,’ Taekwoon answered frostily.

‘Okay, then, your Highness,’ Sanghyuk shrugged, feeling light-headed. He was having a conversation with a _merman_. “Where were you trying to go? Maybe I can drive us more in that direction before letting you go.”

Taekwoon hesitated, surprised. “...North.”

“North?”

“Yes,” Taekwoon nodded, looking like he was trying to seem more sure - either of himself or Sanghyuk, Sanghyuk couldn’t tell. “North. Yes. And keep your distance. I don’t trust you.”

“Alright then,” Sanghyuk said, getting to his feet and moving towards the boat’s steering. “North it is.”

He sat down in a dream behind the steering wheel before hauling in the nets and getting the boat on its way, his thoughts wandering to the phone in his bag. He could have let the merman go there and then instead of offering to drive him further along, but what person in their right mind would have done that? He wanted to keep Taekwoon longer and ask him all sorts of things - examine his tail, and - how does he breathe? Shouldn’t he have gills? How is he breathing air?

Pretending to be looking out at the dark horizon he glanced over surreptitiously to Taekwoon sitting daintily amongst the squid, but Taekwoon wasn’t paying any attention to him. In the weak pre-dawn light Taekwoon was staring back where they had come with an expression on his face so troubled Sanghyuk didn’t know what to make of it, though it echoed the conflict in his own heart. He quietly took his phone out of his bag lying next to the steering wheel and took pictures of Taekwoon, magnificent tail vying with the black of his hair and white of his skin such that he looked unreal. He _was_  unreal; Sanghyuk was probably asleep on the deck of the boat dreaming about this instead, and when he woke up he’d be stiff and covered in squid ink and alone with no merman in sight.

“Here,” Taekwoon called out five tense minutes later, making Sanghyuk jump a bit. “Stop here. And no tricks, you promised to let me go-”

“I will,” Sanghyuk said, still torn between wanting to do the right thing and not wanting to let go of the most amazing thing he’d ever seen. Taekwoon looked at him in the silence once the engine cut out, the only sounds the rush of the waves and the wind.

“What is your name?”

“Me?” Sanghyuk swallowed, actually forgetting it for a moment. “Uh, Sanghyuk. People just call me Hyuk.”

Taekwoon hauled himself up onto the side of the boat, beautiful tail flicking. “Thank you. Although you’re the one who got me into this predicament in the first place and should be punished for it instead, thank you.”

Sanghyuk smiled despite himself. “Doesn’t rescuing the crown prince of the merpeople count for something? What’s my reward?”

Taekwoon huffed as he turned to go. “My eternal gratitude?”

“Will I see you again?” Sanghyuk said, mouth on autopilot and already regretting it before the last word was spoken. Taekwoon stared at him, and a second later with a great sweep of his tail and a splash he was gone.

Nothing was left but the squid, the boat, and Sanghyuk.

**

Sanghyuk straightened, stretching with satisfaction after filling his last squid bucket of the night. Every single time he’d gone out on the sea in a week since he’d accidentally fished Taekwoon out of the water he’d been distracted, trying to see if this or that wave was actually the flick of a blue tail or pretending he could see a dark head breaking the surface of the water. How was he supposed to live life normally now he knew that merpeople existed? Had _spoken_  to one?

He’d sent the photos of Taekwoon to Namjoo in high excitement, finally unable to keep it to himself. She’d sent him back a eye-rolling emoji and ‘your photoshop skills really aren’t the best’, leaving him speechless. If his best friend in all the world wouldn’t believe him, who would? He’d contemplated telling his father, but - his father would just tell the other fishermen inevitably leading to a hunt that could endanger Taekwoon or either earn Sanghyuk the title of the village idiot, neither being very appealing.

He sighed. He didn’t know why he kept hoping to see Taekwoon again - likely Taekwoon wouldn’t venture so near the surface anytime soon. He imagined Taekwoon’s mother warning him as a small child - small fish? - about the dangerous people of the land who came with nets and hooks and would scoop him up and keep him in fish tanks for the rest of his life.

Time for home. He turned to head for the steering before he heard the sound of someone hauling something with an effort and a loud bang gave him a shock, whirling around immediately to see a gigantic shell on the deck of the boat and Taekwoon clinging to the side of the boat panting.

“Pull me up,” he wheezed. “I’ve got no more energy after dragging that thing all the way to the surface.”

Sanghyuk rushed to grab him by his arms and help him as gently as he could to sit on the side of the boat, brain gone completely blank and completely in an uproar at the same time.

“You’re back,” Sanghyuk said, noting how cold Taekwoon’s skin felt and registering in the back of his mind that it made sense for Taekwoon to be cold-blooded. “Why are you back?”

“Your reward,” Taekwoon raised an eyebrow. “I always pay my debts. I’ll have you know these things aren’t easy to find.”

“My-” Sanghyuk looked at the shell. “You got me a giant oyster?”

Taekwoon sighs. “I got you a giant _pearl_. Please tell me you aren’t really this slow.”

“How do you know there’s a pearl inside?” Sanghyuk demanded, deciding to let the insult slide. “Wait - did you take this from the royal treasury or something?”

“The roy- yes,” Taekwoon blinked and smiled smoothly. “That’s exactly where this came from. The royal treasury. Go on, open it up.”

“How?” Sanghyuk stood there, nonplussed. “I don’t think a normal oyster knife is going to work. This is ten times the size of a regular oyster. I’m going to need a crowbar or something.”

“What are you talking about? Just ask it to open like everyone else does.”

Sanghyuk eyed Taekwoon. “Did you say _ask_  it to open?”

“Yes?” Taekwoon said, then rolled his eyes. “Look - get me over there. Next to it. Honestly, I didn’t realise humans were this useless.”

He beckoned Sanghyuk over impatiently and Sanghyuk, to his horror, found himself beginning to blush. It wasn’t every day he carried halfnaked wet men around - or, half-men, anyway - and this would bring the grand total to twice now that he’s had Taekwoon in his arms. He carefully lifted Taekwoon up, one arm around Taekwoon’s shoulders and another under his marvellous tail, secretly glad of the opportunity to be able to feel the scales and see them much more closely and embarrassedly ignoring the pleased way Taekwoon wrapped one arm around him.

“Strong. I like that,” Taekwoon sniffed. “Good for some things, I suppose, since you don’t seem all that smart.”

Sanghyuk set him down on the deck a little harder than he’d intended to at the start, and Taekwoon glared before putting a hand on the oyster.

“Open up!”

And the oyster opened up.

Sanghyuk gaped. There was much to gape at; the fact that Taekwoon could talk to oysters, and also the fact that inside the oyster was exactly what Taekwoon had promised - a giant pearl.

“It’s the size of my hand,” Sanghyuk whispered weakly.

“Will it be worth a lot?” Taekwoon asked.

Sanghyuk swallowed and nodded, unable to speak much at the present time.

“Good!” Taekwoon clapped. “Now we’re even.”

“I didn’t think you’d come back,” Sanghyuk shook his head. “Or come to give me this personally - I mean, if you’re the next king surely you have bodyguards or servants or something to do things like this. You didn’t have to carry this up here all by yourself-”

“Silly human,” Taekwoon said, smiling. “How would they know which one was you? There are tons of fishing boats out here all the time. And it wasn’t that heavy, anyway. I’m not some weakling.”

“No, of course not,” Sanghyuk answered, but before he could open his mouth to say the next word his stomach rumbled loudly.

“Sorry,” Sanghyuk clutched a hand to his middle. “I’m a bit hungry.”

“What will you eat? The oyster?” Taekwoon asked eagerly.

Sanghyuk screwed up his face at the thought of eating a raw oyster almost three times the size of his head. “Um, no. My mother packed for me some kimbap.”

“What’s that? I want to see.”  

Sanghyuk dug out the tupperware from inside his bag and opened it, the familiar smell of sesame oil wafting out as Taekwoon watched agog. It was endearing to see the merman so interested by his food, and Sanghyuk had to suppress a smile as he took a piece and handed it to Taekwoon.

“It’s rice, wrapped up in seaweed. And inside there’s ham and pickles, and uh, cucumber.”

“Land food,” Taekwoon breathed, staring at the kimbap in his hand. “Why does the seaweed look like that?”

“It’s processed,” Sanghyuk said, and at Taekwoon’s blank look he tried to explain further. “It’s dried, I think. In a big sheet. And then flattened..? Why don’t you try it?”

Taekwoon took a tentative bite, eyes on Sanghyuk the whole time as if suspicious that a prank was being played on him. He began to chew, eyes growing bigger and bigger until he swallowed the last bit and grabbed onto Sanghyuk’s hand.

“I’ve never tasted anything like it!”

Sanghyuk nodded and laughed, unsure what to do in the face of Taekwoon’s childlike delight.

“Give me more of those!”

Sanghyuk passed him another two pieces, which Taekwoon wolfed down with his eyes closed this time, chewing in ecstasy.

“They always told me land food was disgusting,” he said, mouth full. “It’s amazing. I’ve been lied to all these years.”

“When you say ‘all these years’... just how many years is that?” Sanghyuk asked, picking up his own piece of kimbap.

“Ten,” Taekwoon answered, rolling his eyes. “I know, I’m really young to be the crown prince but my father married late. What about you? You look about eight.”

Sanghyuk paused, unsure how to proceed. “I’m- twenty-three, actually. Twenty-four in a few months.”

“What?” Taekwoon frowned. “Don’t talk nonsense. How can you be over twenty years old? You look like you’re barely an adult.”

“I’m guessing you and I probably count time differently?” Sanghyuk offered, mind racing. “Listen. How would you like to taste more land food?”

Taekwoon perked up. “I’m listening.”

**

Sanghyuk slipped into the calm water not far out from the shore, wondering if he’d see Taekwoon tonight. He’d be lying if he said the thought of being in the water with Taekwoon didn’t thrill him; for once in Taekwoon’s element instead of his.

Kimbap, bossam, kimchi, fried chicken, ddeokbokki, chocolate, ice cream, red bean mochi; so far these were all the foods he’d brought for Taekwoon to try, essentially bribing him for information on merpeople. Taekwoon munched in delirious bliss as Sanghyuk asked him about himself and his life, fearing he would run out of food before he ran out of questions, but Taekwoon was happy to stay and answer anything Sanghyuk asked. Sanghyuk spent the whole day thinking about Taekwoon and what he might like to eat, mulling over the new things he’d found out and thinking of what else he could ask until night came and Sanghyuk was out the door the moment he finished dinner with his family. It was a whole new world opened up before him, and Taekwoon was the centre of it all.

But Taekwoon had not shown up last night, or the night before last. Maybe it was all over now; a dream finished just as quickly as it had started. Now it was just a secret that Sanghyuk would have to keep with him forever because no one would believe him and no one would ever understand - Sanghyuk kicked out in the water, feeling the warmth of the day’s sun wash against his chest as the colder undercurrents played around his feet and was suddenly acutely aware of how small and insignificant he was. A tiny speck in the vast waters of the world’s oceans and seas; Taekwoon was free to swim anywhere in them and he had seen things Sanghyuk could only dream of.

Sanghyuk let himself float on his back, hearing the distant roaring of the sea in his ears and feeling caught between the endless depths and endless heights of the skies and stars. Was Taekwoon alright?

“I didn’t think you could swim,” Taekwoon said in his ear, causing Sanghyuk to yell and capsize, swallowing acrid saltwater.

After an age of coughing and wheezing holding on to the side ladder of his boat, Sanghyuk finally felt like he was capable of speech.

“Of course I can swim,” he answered testily, voice raw. “Where have you been?”

Taekwoon gave him an odd look, not answering straight away. Like this, chest and shoulders out of the water, he looked like he could be human too if you didn’t know about the strong tail hidden below.

“I went home,” he replied finally, almost too soft for Sanghyuk to hear. “For the crown prince’s official coronation.”

“Your coronation?”

“No,” Taekwoon made a face. “I lied. I’m not a prince, much less the crown prince. When you caught me for some reason I thought that was a way to intimidate you and then after, when you-” the expression on Taekwoon’s face intensified. “I just wanted to impress you. You’re the first human I’ve ever met.”

Sanghyuk blinked. “You mean all that ‘how dare you, human!’ stuff when we met was you just making things up? You’re not royalty _at all_?”

Taekwoon glowered. “No.”

“Damn. I should have said I was king of Korea.”

“Be quiet,” Taekwoon splashed water in Sanghyuk’s direction. “You should be glad for my honesty.”

“ _After_ you lied to me in the first place? I should punish you. No more land food for two days.”

“No,” Taekwoon whined, swimming closer as Sanghyuk laughed. “I’ll bring you another pearl.”

“I don’t even know what to do with the first one,” Sanghyuk says, still smiling. “If I show it to my parents they’ll flip.”

“Flip what?”

“I mean, they’ll go crazy,” Sanghyuk grinned. Taekwoon not knowing human casual speech was too endearing. “Trust me when I say pearls that size aren’t common.”

“They better not be. I swam for almost a week to find that one,” Taekwoon said, looking proud of himself.

“I thought you said you took it from your royal treasury?” Sanghyuk frowned.

“I lied about that too,” Taekwoon answered quickly. “I don't have a royal treasury. Sorry.”

Sanghyuk took a deep breath. “To be honest? I feel better knowing you’re just a regular person. Feels less - I don’t know. I don’t know how to relate to a prince.”

“Really?” Taekwoon beamed, worry on his face vanishing. “I wish I could show you what’s down there. There’s so many things I am sure you’ve never seen.”

“I wish I could, too,” Sanghyuk murmured, feeling sadness pour into him. “But humans can’t swim that deep. Not without an oxygen tank. And maybe not, even then.”

Taekwoon bit his lip, looking like he was weighing his next words. “Have you ever heard-? I mean. There’s this thing my nanny used to tell me, but I don’t know if it was true or not. About humans.”

“What?” Sanghyuk asked, confused.

“Well,” Taekwoon stalled, and Sanghyuk looked at him curiously. “There is a children’s story told to our young ones about a mermaid and a human prince who fell in love a long time ago and she used to bring him down to see where she lived. And the way to do that, to allow him to breathe underwater, she would-” Taekwoon broke off to laugh self-consciously. “You know?”

“No, I don’t know,” Sanghyuk shook his head. “Do you mean the story of The Little Mermaid? Because I’m quite sure in our version she never brought him down-”

Taekwoon kissed him.

Taekwoon held him close, a cold hand on his shoulder and cupping his face gently. Sanghyuk tasted the salt on Taekwoon’s lips, his own warmth meeting Taekwoon’s timeless cold depth of the sea, and when he parted his own lips Taekwoon exhaled into his mouth.

Taekwoon let him go, sheepishly, while Sanghyuk tried to collect his scattered thoughts.

“Um?” Sanghyuk attempted.

“That’s what she would do,” Taekwoon said quickly, words almost stringing together in his embarrassment. “To let him breathe underwater. It’s some kind of magic and I don’t know if it works or not but. Let’s try it. Hold my hands. Stop staring at me! Come on.”

Sanghyuk dumbly took Taekwoon’s hands and took a hurried breath before Taekwoon pulled him down under the water.

The waves closed over Sanghyuk’s head and Sanghyuk immediately began to panic as Taekwoon tugged him deeper into the darker waters, clinging desperately to the oxygen caught in his sealed mouth and trying to swim back up to the surface. He felt Taekwoon’s hands come to cup his face and Taekwoon’s mouth on his once more, somehow hearing clearly Taekwoon’s voice telling him to relax. Taekwoon was blowing small bubbles against his closed lips, and Sanghyuk tried to calm his racing heart and listen to what the merman was trying to tell him.

_Relax. Open your mouth. Inhale._

Against every instinct screaming at him Sanghyuk inhaled a quick short breath, and when he was not met with burning water in his lungs and nose he went slack in Taekwoon’s arms in shock.

Another small breath, and then another, and slowly he accepted the rhythm of the breaths Taekwoon was exhaling into his mouth until the panicked banging in his head stopped and he was more aware of his surroundings - cool water, Taekwoon holding him, breath - somehow - in his lungs.

He felt Taekwoon lightly brush fingers against his eyes.

_Open your eyes._

Sanghyuk smiled, and opened his eyes only to shut them again tightly in agony, the saltwater stinging them horribly.

_Oh. That one didn’t work, then. Sorry._

It was nothing goggles couldn’t fix.

**

Sanghyuk lay in bed, watching the changing shadow pictures on his ceiling change with the racing to and fro of cars on the road outside his parents’ house, the huge pearl hidden underneath his clothes in his closet and his fingers tracing the outline of his lips where Taekwoon had kissed him.

They’d swum for nearly an hour, moonlight snaking through the water and beaming onto their backs as Taekwoon brought him to where the beautiful fish came out at night and sea turtles ambled slowly through the deep blue. Luckily he’d thought of bringing a flashlight as well as goggles when he’d gone back up to the boat, or else he’d have seen and done nothing but be hyper-aware of Taekwoon’s hand in his the entire time.

He didn’t understand then how he was able to breathe underwater and still didn’t. He wasn’t complaining about the method, though.

Somehow, the cold of Taekwoon’s touch didn’t unnerve him as much as he’d thought it would.

“Ma, here’s a huge pearl for you. A merman I met got it for me. You can sell it and open that restaurant you always wanted,” Sanghyuk murmured, closing his eyes to welcome sleep. “I’ve gone swimming with him in the sea. When he kisses me I can breathe underwater. Amazing, isn’t it? His name is Taekwoon. He _isn’t_  the crown prince of the merpeople.”

Sanghyuk wonders what it would be like to kiss Taekwoon on land, the breeze in their hair.

**

“Are you ready to retire, your Crown Prince Highness-ness?”

Taekwoon scowled at his valet, who only smiled at Taekwoon lounging on his moonlit balcony.

“I don’t know why you’re in such a bad mood. You’re officially in line to be king, now. His Majesty has been grooming you for this your whole life,” the elderly merman said. “Don’t be such a brat.”

“I am not a brat,” Taekwoon pouted. “I just wish I could be-”

“Be what?” his valet asked, looking back at him.

“Nothing,” Taekwoon murmured. “Tell me - what do you know of the humans’ version of that story of the mermaid who fell in love with the human prince?”

“You know exactly what I know,” his valet answered, stopping his nightly tidying-up to swim over to Taekwoon and stroke his hair. “I’ve been telling you that story since you were a child. Theirs is a happier ending than ours. Foolishly so, perhaps.”

“Does such magic really exist, Sebastian?”

“What do you mean?” the man stopped, looking at Taekwoon. “To turn a merperson into a human?”

Taekwoon nodded, avoiding his valet’s gaze.

“If there is I hope nobody ever finds out!” the old man laughed, and left Taekwoon’s side with one last pet to his hair. “What a concept, leaving the ocean. Life under the sea is better than anything they’ve got up there.”

Taekwoon drew his tail up to rest his arms and chin on it, feeling the warmth of Sanghyuk’s lips ghost over his own.

**  



	2. 'i just fell in love with my magic mirror - chabin'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have two ‘fell in love with my magic mirror’ prompts so to change things up i decided to make this one the mirror falling in love with its owner instead ✌️

**** Chansik glares at the face in the mirror.

“This is your  _ fourth _ time getting returned, Binnie. We’ve been  _ over _ this.”

Hongbin sticks out his tongue. “I thought you might be getting lonely, that’s all. Came back to see how you’re doing.”

“That customer said all you did was talk shit about her spellcasting ability and pass comments on her outfits. Do you not understand your role as a magic mirror?”

“Did  _ you _ not see what she was wearing when she walked in here to return me?”

“You are a disembodied face inside a mirror, Hongbin. It is beyond you to comment on people’s fashion sense. Also I would like to make some money now and again as the owner of a struggling magic implements shop, not have to  _ return _ it to people.”

“Admit it. If one day someone bought me and you never saw me again you’d miss me.”

Chansik frowns. “You’re - I don’t know how this happened, but - yes, I like you. That still doesn’t mean I would turn away the five hundred thousand won you fetch as a  _ top-grade magic mirror for the aid and facilitation of spellcasting and divination _ that you are supposed to be. I need to pay rent, Binnie!”

Hongbin pouts. Chansik relents.

“Look, maybe - maybe I’ll find something valuable to sell at that attic and basement sale I’m going to this weekend. Then I can keep you and I won’t ever have to deal with angry people coming back in here to complain about you being rude to them again.”

Hongbin perks up. “That’s the spirit!”

“I really hope I’m not going to regret it-  _ Oh _ , hello! Welcome, sir! What brings you to this humble shop?” 

Hongbin tried to see whom Chansik was welcoming, the bell above the shop’s door tinkling, but he was set on the counter faced away from the entrance. Must have looked rich the way Chansik hustled right over to them and proceeded to bow and scrape.

Hongbin took a chastened moment to reflect. Perhaps he was making Chansik’s life a little difficult, but he just couldn’t belong to someone who messed up basic incantations and thought the proper way to address Hongbin was ‘Hey!’ Maybe if it was a person who understood just what Hongbin was capable of and what a great tool he could be in the right mage’s hands -

He listened to the sound of Chansik’s and the customer’s footsteps around the front room, the warm mellow tones of the visitor’s voice seeming to embrace and reach out to every part of the little shop, caressing, searching. This one had power. 

“What about this?”

“Oh, um-” Chansik’s worried voice broke into Hongbin’s thoughts as Hongbin was turned around by the customer and came face to face with intelligent eyes and a commanding stare. 

“Sir, I’m very sorry, but that mirror isn’t - he isn’t for sale. I was just about to put him away-”

“Why not?” the man said, appraising Hongbin thoughtfully as Hongbin appraised him right back. Dark hair - expensive robes - honey skin, and the slightest warmth of power soaking into Hongbin’s frame from where the man was holding him up. 

“Well, sir…” Chansik stopped, at a loss for words. Chansik really was a sweetheart, Hongbin thought, smiling to himself.

“I can be a bit of a bastard,” Hongbin supplied. “Is what he means. I’m not some cheap enchanted piece of glass. If you want to harness what I can do for you you need to be able to walk the talk. Rich pretty boys need not apply, if that’s all you are.”

He heard Chansik gasp, and then sigh deeply.

The man grinned. “I’ll take him.”

**

Hongbin felt himself being brought up stairs and waited until the man unwrapped the paper Chansik had hastily wrapped Hongbin in. Chansik’s parting ‘Purchases are non-returnable!’ was still ringing in Hongbin’s ears, and Hongbin scowled into the darkness.

_ We’ll see about that,  _ he thought heatedly, even though he already knew that this latest owner wasn’t like the others. He was gorgeous, to begin with, and more powerful than any of his previous buyers. What kind of mage was this? At least for the time being it would not be a chore to have to look into his face during spellcasting.

The paper around Hongbin rustled as he was set upright, and Hongbin blinked against the afternoon sunlight streaming into a bedroom, simply done. Small succulents and candles lined the windowsill and tasteful pieces of furniture accented the room. It was airy and quiet, and finally Hongbin looked at the man adjusting Hongbin on top of what must be a dresser or chest of drawers. 

So far, so good. 

“What do you think?” he asked, gesturing towards the room. “Is the view to your liking?”

Hongbin raised an eyebrow. “It’s not terrible.”

“Do you know who I am?”

Hongbin raised the other eyebrow. “Should I?”

“My name is Hakyeon,” the man bowed a little. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hongbin,” Hongbin answered, trying his best not to be charmed. “Why did you buy me?”

Hakyeon laughed, the sound warm and inviting. He delicately opened the windows with a flick of his wrist, the casual demonstration of magic not lost on Hongbin. Mastery of telekinesis was not a power just anybody had, even if they possessed the other Gifts. 

“I needed a better tool of divination. To help in my work.”

“Which is?”

Hakyeon smiled again, opening the black bag he’d been carrying with him and starting to unpack it. A wallet. His handphone. Earphones. A largeish black tourmaline crystal, for protection. A silver knife, engraved with runes of -

Hongbin gasped. Hakyeon smiled wider, looking up at him. 

“I hope we get along, don’t you?” Hakyeon tipped his head to the side, handsome face illuminated by the sunshine from the window and blinding Hongbin a little bit. Metaphorically. If he had a heart it’d be pounding. 

This could either be very good, or very bad.

**

“Channie!”

Chansik frowned, looking up and then around. “Bin?”

“Over here! By the incense holders!”

Chansik got up from behind the shop’s counter and hurried over, still frowning until he saw Hongbin poorly reflected in the highly polished surface of a cauldron. “What are you  _ doing _ here?”

“I had to talk to someone about this. The guy who bought me? He’s a  _ necromancer _ , Chan. Did you know you were selling me to a necromancer?”

“He’s not a necromancer,” Chansik answered, sitting down on the floor to avoid having to crouch down to talk to Hongbin. “Or at least, he’s not a bad necromancer.”

“What does whether he’s good or bad at necromancy have to do with it? He deals with the  _ dead _ -”

“I didn’t mean his ability. He’s a necromancer, yes, but he works for the Supreme Mage’s ministry. He rights wrongs in the netherworld. Brings back people who have been banished there unjustly. Releases souls that are stuck. Exorcises spirits that have taken possession of innocent people. Etcetera and so on. Why are you staring at me like that?”

“How the hell do you know all this?”

“Hah,” Chansik replied. “If you were less preoccupied with tormenting your owners and paid attention to the news once in a while you’d know who Cha Hakyeon is, too. He’s famous.”

Hongbin blinked.

“I belong to someone famous? No wonder he asked if I knew who he was!”

Chansik nodded. “Don’t screw it up, okay?”

“Such little faith in me,” Hongbin made a face, and then vanished with a smile. Chansik shook his head and got back up off the floor.

“He’s coming right back to me, isn’t he?” he asked the empty shop in resignation.

**

“Hello,” Hakyeon greeted Hongbin courteously, closing the bedroom door behind him with a simple gesture of his head, and Hongbin materialised eagerly on the glass of his mirror. Since installing him in Hakyeon’s bedroom yesterday Hakyeon had come back from wherever he’d gone only late at night and paid Hongbin little attention before going to bed behind a screen. At least he hadn’t done Hongbin the indignity of covering him up when unneeded, but Hongbin was  _ restless. _

“You called, master?” Hongbin said, innocently as possible, and didn’t miss the expression that flickered across Hakyeon’s face. Something to think about.

“Whatever happened to the attitude you had when I first met you?” Hakyeon asked, looking at Hongbin out of the corner of his eye as he moved around his bedroom putting things away.

“I’m still waiting for you to prove yourself to me,” Hongbin told him. “Though I have to say I didn’t know then you were  _ famous _ .”

“Oh,” Hakyeon threw up his hands. “ _ Famous _ . Half the people who think they know who I am just think I’m a necrophiliac or something equally distasteful. The work I do,” Hakyeon finally stopped in front of Hongbin. “Isn’t easy or glamorous. But the Ministry insists on using me as some kind of poster boy for its political campaigns.”

“So you don’t like the attention?” Hongbin asked, watching Hakyeon carefully. 

Hakyeon grinned. “I never said that.”

Hongbin scoffed, Hakyeon’s smile affecting him more than he’d care to admit.  

“Tonight I need to find someone in the netherworld. Feeling up to it?”

“Are  _ you _ ?” Hongbin countered.

Hakyeon put both hands on Hongbin’s frame, thumbs lightly touching the cold mirror’s surface and leaned his head back, inhaling slowly. He began to mouth the words of the usual divining incantation, Hongbin distracted slightly by the way his adam’s apple moved in his slender throat.

When Hakyeon raised his head once more and opened his eyes they were completely black.

It happened so fast - Hongbin wasn’t used to this level of sheer power and mastery but Hakyeon didn’t even need to say the words before Hongbin already knew what he wanted to find; as if buoyed on the swiftest current Hongbin delved like a comet into the netherworld and hurtled towards the shade of the person Hakyeon was looking for; shining a spotlight onto her, a beacon for Hakyeon to follow. Hakyeon saw her, and ended the spell. 

If Hongbin had had legs he’d have stumbled. He’d have had to sit down, fanning his face. He’d have had to have a calming glass of water.

“Are you alright?” Hakyeon asked, amused, his eyes now back to normal. 

Hongbin didn’t have lungs and as such didn’t need to breathe; he was a manifestation of the power of the mirror because long ago the mages who started making magic mirrors thought it would be  _ nice _ to have a human face to ask favours of and interact with. So why did he feel short of breath?

“I’ve never felt that before,” Hongbin admitted, wide-eyed. “That - enabling of my own power. Helping you was effortless.”

“I’m flattered,” Hakyeon murmured, smiling. “But surely I’m not your first.”

“You’re not,” Hongbin said, feeling uncharacteristically flustered. “But so far, you’re the best.”

“Compliment taken,” Hakyeon grinned. “You’re the best I’ve ever had, too. No one else compares.”

Hongbin had a strong feeling they might be talking about something else other than magic.

**  

“ _ Channie! _ ”

Chansik looked over his shoulder at Hongbin, now hissing at him in the blurred shine of the breastplate of a suit of armour. 

“Wait, I’m with a customer.”

“Channie, I think I’m in love with him.”

“Just a moment, ma’am-  _ what _ ?”

“He’s amazing. He’s so strong, Chan, he uses me in ways I’ve never been used before-”

“Ew.”

“I know, Chan, it’s terrible. I look forward all day to seeing him. I can’t wait for him to use me. He makes me feel things I’ve never known-”

“Okay. Who are you, and what have you done with Hongbin?”

Hongbin closed his eyes in mortification. “I’m disgusting. I know it. I want to slap myself but I have no hands.”

“This is rather concerning,” Chansik said, frowning at Hongbin. “I didn’t know magic mirrors had feelings like that.”

“I wish we didn’t,” Hongbin replied forlornly. “I hate it. I try to harden myself against him and insult him or something but I  _ can’t _ . He’s too amazing. And even if I do he just laughs at me and I melt into gross ectoplasm or whatever I am.”

“It’s been two weeks, Bin.”

“I  _ know _ ,” Hongbin wailed. “And he’s gotten me to divine things and people for him so many times already and each session felt like - like-” Hongbin screwed up his face in humiliation.

“Are you sure this isn’t just a crush?” Chansik asked, then rolled his eyes at himself. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you.”

“What if he doesn’t feel the same,” Hongbin said in despair, ignoring Chansik. “I’ll have to find a way to smash myself.”

“Or you could just serve him the way you’re intended to and enjoy the fact that you belong to a master who is powerful and nice to you and appreciates your abilities. How about that?”

Hongbin looked at Chansik for a few moments, and then sighed. “You’re right.”

“It’s what you always wanted, isn’t it?” Chansik smiled kindly. “And if you do anything to make him return you I’m putting you in the basement forever.”

Hongbin growled.

**

“Hongbin,” Hakyeon called softly, and Hongbin materialised after counting to ten, trying not to seem too eager.

“There you are,” Hakyeon smiled, tracing Hongbin’s cheek on the mirror’s surface with a finger.  _ Oh, hell, _ Hongbin thought. “I might be gone for longer tonight. I have to retrieve someone and I don’t know how long it will take.”

“Is it dangerous?” Hongbin asked, slight frown between his brows.

Hakyeon smiled, both easing Hongbin’s worry and amplifying it. “It’s always dangerous. But I’ll be fine. Just wanted you to know in case you started wondering where I was.”

“Be careful,” Hongbin mumbled, wanting to sink through the floor for how anxious Hakyeon’s words made him. “I’ll be waiting, master.”

“I know you will,” Hakyeon said, picking up his bag and pausing at his door. “I’ll be back, Hongbin. I’ll see you later.”

The door swung closed and Hongbin groaned, wishing he could bang his head against something.

He didn’t know how long he waited - hours, definitely - half the night? Possibly - and when Hakyeon stumbled back into his bedroom covered in splashes of blood of unknown origin on him Hongbin nearly yelled. 

Hakyeon gave him an apologetic glance and slowly, painfully peeled off his jacket, and then his shirt, and with a look set them on fire on the floor of his bedroom. Magical fire that burnt blue and didn’t spread to anything else, burning the clothes until they were nothing but ash on the floorboards. Meanwhile Hakyeon raised an arm to look at the gash in his side, Hongbin nearly dying - as much as a magical mirror can die - both at the sight of Hakyeon’s own blood and so much bare skin. Hakyeon placed a hand carefully over the wound and murmured words, flinching as the flesh and skin knitted slowly and the blood eventually stopped flowing.  

“What happened?” Hongbin burst out finally, unable to contain himself much longer. 

Hakyeon shrugged, looking exhausted. “Work hazard. The usual.”

“Are you alright?”

Hakyeon nodded, stumbling closer to the dresser Hongbin was placed on and grabbing the bottle of whiskey Hongbin knew Hakyeon kept there. Rarely used - only when the occasion called for it, apparently. 

He poured himself a shot into a short glass and downed it, making a face at the burn. Hongbin smiled to himself despite the situation. Hakyeon really wasn’t a drinker.

“Did I worry you?”

Hongbin looked at Hakyeon, then away. “It’s fine. You’re fine now.”

“Did I worry you?” Hakyeon repeated again, slower this time and with the hint of a smirk on his face.

Hongbin grit his teeth. “Maybe.”

“That much, huh?” Hakyeon dropped into his desk chair with an exhale, still looking at Hongbin. 

“You know you did,” Hongbin muttered, feeling like he wanted to disappear and regretting each word coming from his mouth. “I was waiting all night. I didn’t know if you were okay or not-”

Hongbin wasn’t sure how he did it, but one moment Hongbin was a magic mirror on the dresser and the next moment he was falling awkwardly off the dresser onto his hands and knees - painfully - and Hakyeon was there with a blanket grabbed hastily from his bed to throw over Hongbin’s naked body for modesty and to help him to his very new feet. 

Hongbin stared dumbfounded at him, then stared back at the dresser, then stared down at himself. He wiggled toes he very emphatically did not possess a minute ago.

“Hi,” Hakyeon said, smiling in embarrassment. 

“Did you just-” Hongbin started, and then stopped, not knowing how to finish his sentence. “Did you just give me a body?” He tried again.

“I put you into a human body,” Hakyeon corrected. “You’re still what you are. Just… as a person.”

“Casually?? Just?? Transfigured me into flesh and bone??” Hongbin very near yelled, feeling hysterical at the sheer power Hakyeon had to just  _ nonchalantly _ turn him human-shaped. “What??”

“Shh!” Hakyeon admonished, putting his hand over Hongbin’s mouth. “I share this official house with two other Ministry mages. They’re going to hear you. If you hadn’t realised, this is illegal.”

“Then why?” Hongbin moved away, wrapping the blanket around his body self-consciously. Being too near to a shirtless Hakyeon while apparently wearing no clothes himself was not a safe situation. 

“It’s nice to have someone who worries for me?” Hakyeon said ruefully. “This life is a lonely one and I- oh gods. I’m sorry. Look, I’ll turn you back-”

“You will do no such thing,” Hongbin ordered, and then blushed.

“Oh?” Hakyeon raised an eyebrow, pleased expression blooming all over his face. “You don’t- you don’t mind?”

“Oh, yourself,” Hongbin turned away, pretending to be annoyed, but when Hakyeon hesitantly took his hand and kissed the back of it gently Hongbin had to hide his furiously blushing face in Hakyeon’s shoulder to the mage’s delight.

“I’ll get you some clothes,” Hakyeon murmured into Hongbin’s hair. 

“You will do no such thing,” Hongbin repeated, muffled, into Hakyeon’s shoulder, and felt Hakyeon’s laughter reverberate through his body, the heat of his hands seeping through the thin blanket into Hongbin’s skin where Hakyeon’s hands were resting on his waist. 

“Oh?” Hakyeon said again, voice low and so deliciously warm. 

“Oh, yourself,” Hongbin let the blanket fall to the floor.

**


	3. 'bumped into each other while watching a street magic performance - leobin'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love this one.

Taekwoon decided one - just one - meat skewer wouldn’t hurt. The chase was long, and he’d missed Hongbin in this town by mere hours yet again, so just one small skewer from this night market stall wouldn’t hurt. Tomorrow he’d get up before dawn and continue the pursuit but for now by Merlin’s gods-damned beard he deserved a little bit of a rest; Hongbin had led him in circles and up and down and left to right all over the continent and so _for tonight_ Taekwoon was going to have a meat skewer and walk around this night market and later he was going to sleep in a real inn’s bed for once. _With_ sheets. Maybe even a hot bath, if this defiant mood lasted.

Taekwoon bought the skewer with the money he’d brought along with him on this leg of the chase - money purse lighter now, but still enough to see him through at least another month before he’d have to return to the capital. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if he returned once more without Hongbin, so he put it out of his mind. From what the innskeeper had told him and the look of the room Hongbin had been staying in Hongbin had had no more than a five-hour head start. And from here the only way out was down into the valley once more, the same way Taekwoon had followed Hongbin up here; this town was backed by a steep, almost barefaced mountain ridge. Hongbin may be powerful, but he couldn’t _fly._

There were food stalls and music and people selling lanterns and trinkets, and Taekwoon walked through them all dressed as a nondescript traveller in his brown cloak, hood still pulled casually over his head. The cloak was bulky enough to hide whatever needed hiding on Taekwoon’s person like his wand, his money, and his royal guard’s knives, and he looked dusty and trudged heavily enough to seem tired. That much wasn’t an act, though. He _was_ tired, inside and out, though he was trying very hard to stay positive.

The meat was good, at least. He stopped by a street magician to munch as the man attempted to fascinate the small but growing crowd, always amused by what humans called ‘magic’. It was all nothing but sleight of hand and distraction, and this particular trickster didn’t seem to be very good. He was attempting to appear and disappear playing cards through his hands but was becoming increasingly perturbed; his cards would disappear and turn up inside his shirt collar, or dozens would suddenly spew out from his sleeves. HIs audience was loving it, his confused act as if he couldn’t understand what was happening with the cards adding to what they believed was the artistry of the performance, but Taekwoon stopped chewing and narrowed his eyes.

When the magician sneezed out an intricately-folded card and then with barely a pause began to cough up and spit out cards from his mouth with a look of actual terror to the hilarity of his audience Taekwoon dropped his skewer to scan the crowd, heart pounding. It couldn’t be. Hongbin had left hours ago -

Dimples and a grin half-hidden by the hood of a green travelling cloak, at the back of the crowd.

Taekwoon moved very slowly, not wanting to alarm Hongbin in any way. He backed away from the poor magician’s audience, keeping Hongbin in his sights, and circled around widely, forcing himself to stay patient and not rush in. He couldn’t believe it. After all these months, all this time - here Hongbin was. Why? Why was he still here?

Taekwoon took out his wand from where it was strapped to his body and pressed it ever so carefully against Hongbin’s lower back.

“Hello, your Highness,” he murmured, low enough to not be heard by anyone else around them. “I think you’ve teased the poor man enough now, don’t you?”

“Hello, Taekwoonie,” Hongbin replied, grin still firmly on despite not turning to look at him. The card-spitting magician abruptly stopped producing cards from his mouth, and blinked comically for a few seconds in fear before gathering up his things in panic and rushing away. The audience started to disperse, audibly disappointed.

“This isn’t a very friendly way to greet someone you haven’t seen for months.” Hongbin glanced back at him and Taekwoon wanted time to stop for a moment so he could properly look at Hongbin - look at all the small changes in him since the last time Taekwoon had seen him in court, dressed in his fancy royal clothes, clean and perfumed to the gills - a far cry from this Hongbin. He had stubble on his face and his hair was now long enough to fall into his eyes - eyes that were dancing, though, in a way Taekwoon wasn’t sure he’d ever seen when Hongbin was back home.

“It’s not my fault I haven’t seen you for months, now is it?” Taekwoon said. Levity made it easier. “In fact I think it’s you who’s been the rude one. I’ve been trying so hard to get in touch with you and you’ve been avoiding me. Was it something I said?”

“Well, you know,” Hongbin waved one hand in the air, “You _have_ been rather boring lately.” Taekwoon muttered the binding charm under his breath, feeling the cool magical cord form around his wrist. He tugged at it, feeling Hongbin’s arm bump into his from where they were now tied together.

“Is that really necessary, Taekwoonie?” Hongbin looked down at their joined arms and frowned at him. “ _Really_?”

“I’m not taking any more chances with you,” Taekwoon informed him flatly.

“This is undignified. How am I supposed to shower or go to the bathroom? You perv, Taekwoonie. If you wanted to see you only had to ask. Just like last time.”

Hongbin grinned up at him and for a moment the rest of the world fell away. Taekwoon had forgotten just how being with Hongbin felt like - and it had been a long time since he’d had that smile turned on just for him. It made him weak in the knees. It made him weak in the brain.

“Stop calling me Taekwoonie. You don’t deserve to.”

“Sure, Taekwoonie.”

*

“So what now?” Hongbin asked, as Taekwoon pulled off his cloak one-handed and slung it over a chair in the inn room Hongbin had only just vacated hours before, having ignored the look the innskeeper had given them when he’d reappeared with Hongbin and asked for a room for the night. Just one room. “You drag me back to court kicking and screaming?”

“I’d prefer without the kicking and screaming part, but I’ll do what I have to do,” Taekwoon murmured, helping Hongbin take off his own much finer cloak.

“You know you’re bringing me to my death,” Hongbin answered, equally low, standing in front of Taekwoon and looking up at him plainly.

Taekwoon sighed. “What are you talking about?”

“You think they just want me back because without me the rulership shifts to my uncle? It’s still the same bloodline. They lose nothing without me. _Think_ , Taekwoonie.”

“Why would they send me all the way to get you just to bring you back to kill you? They could just let you go. You clearly have no intention of being king. You just disappeared without telling me- anyone.”

Hongbin searched Taekwoon’s face, and Taekwoon had to stop himself from taking a step backwards even though there’s just so far he could physically go, given their handcuffed hands. Having Hongbin this near to him interfered greatly with his ability to think, and he pushed down the emotions threatening to spill over from the last time Hongbin was this close - no handcuffs, just the two of them, right before Taekwoon woke up alone and the whole court was alive with news of the runaway prince. Now was not the time for any of that.

“You really were always a bit slow,” Hongbin whispered, smiling a little. “Why do you think I let you find me?”

Taekwoon frowned. “ _Let_ me find you?”

Hongbin twisted and pulled up his shirt to show his left side, where an ugly bruise and broken skin had purpled, skin still raw and only now beginning to scab over. “Crossbow. Two days ago. Nearly got me on the street. I ran all night until I was sure they hadn’t followed me here.”

Taekwoon stared at the wound before he found his voice. “Thieves, maybe. Or-”

“A thief trying to rob me would have knifed me in an alley, Taekwoon. Not tried to shoot me from high up on a roof.” Hongbin let the hem of his shirt drop. “It wasn’t the first time.”

“Hongbin-”

“Please trust me,” Hongbin pleaded, putting his free hand on Taekwoon’s chest, and it took everything Taekwoon had not to flinch away at the touch. It was too familiar. “I will tell you everything. Just let me explain.”

A crossbow slug whistled right past Taekwoon’s head, before Hongbin threw his body weight against Taekwoon and they fell to the floor. Another slug thudded into the bed just behind them, and would have gone right through Hongbin’s chest. Hongbin, panting, flashed Taekwoon a brilliant split-second grin from where he was lying on top of a dazed Taekwoon.

“This is familiar,” Hongbin murmured. “I’ve missed this.”

“Hongbin, what the _fuck_ -”

“Told you,” Hongbin shrugged. “And I hope you noticed they were aiming for you, too. That’s why I left you behind, you dumbass. I thought it would keep you safe.” Hongbin pulled out his wand from his clothes and cast a shielding charm over the windows.

“Why are they after you?!” They both cringed as another crossbow slug slammed through the - regretfully - open window and embedded itself in the shield before the magic squeezed it out and the slug fell to the ground floor below.

“I may have stumbled across something I shouldn’t have stumbled across.”

“Like _what?_ ”

“Like my uncle was planning a coup. I’d be surprised if it hasn’t already happened, while you were gone looking for me. I suppose you left right after I disappeared? They know you’re loyal to me. They’ll probably say you died on the journey or I killed you, or something. Two birds, huh?”

Taekwoon just stared speechlessly at Hongbin. “There’s - there are more people loyal to you, the whole guard-”

“We don’t know that,” Hongbin shook his head. “And now we have to get out of here.”

Hongbin rolled off Taekwoon, holding out their joined hands impatiently for Taekwoon to break the binding charm.

“Much better. Grab your things and come on.”

Crawling, Taekwoon went to the window and pulled on the curtains sash to close them, hopefully buying them a few minutes of time by hiding them from the crossbow shooter - or shooters’ - eyes. Crouching low, he pushed Hongbin behind him before getting ready to carefully and slowly open the door, one hand ready with his knife.

“Wait,” Hongbin said, turning Taekwoon to face him.

“Bin, we don’t have ti-” Taekwoon is stopped mid-sentence as Hongbin kissed him, feeling it like a punch to the gut with how much he’d _longed_ for Hongbin with everything he had, refusing to believe that Hongbin had just abandoned him for no reason. Hongbin kissed him again, softer this time, and Taekwoon moaned quietly against his lips.

“I’m sorry I left you,” Hongbin whispered, their foreheads together. “Now enough of this. We have to run.”

“You started it,” Taekwoon grumbled, smile on his face for the first time in four months despite the danger they were in. “Come on, then.”

  
  
  



	4. 'I just fell in love with my magic mirror - kenvi'

“Hey, mirror? Uh, Jaehwan?”

“What’s up, cutie?” The smoky surface of the desk mirror dissolved into the grinning face of Jaehwan, his Magical Assistive Persona (MAP for short). Wonsik ignored the little ‘yay!’s that his stomach and other assorted organs were doing at the endearment and was proud of himself that he did not blush this time - he was getting better at dealing with Jaehwan’s flirting, and it had only taken him a week.

“You know by now you should address me by, uh, my work title. Or my name.”

“What’s wrong with ‘cutie’? I’m just calling it how I see it.” A wink that threatened to send Wonsik’s heart into overdrive. 

“Um. Yeah, that’s. That’s not work-appropriate.”

Jaehwan pouted and Wonsik’s stomach tried to exit through the soles of his feet. “Why so uptight today, baby? Should I schedule a massage or something for you after work? Take the edge off? Too bad I can’t do it for you.”

“ _ Right. _ So!,” Wonsik babbled, knowing his face was bright red. “I need you to uh, look up the information on this one wizard that we have in the archives here. All his past transactions with the Wizengamot’s administrative offices, please. Choi Hyunjae. Please. Now.”

“Right now?”

“Yes.”

“Right this instant?”

Wonsik swallowed, trying not to look at Jaehwan’s teasing smile. “I know I’m new here, but you really shouldn’t treat me like this.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” Jaehwan softened his smile and voice, which was somehow even worse. “I’ll get that information for you right away.”

“Thank you,” Wonsik managed to get out, and then let out a long exhale once the surface of the mirror was cloudy once more. The Ministry of Magic was finally trying to get with the times and ape the kind of networks and systems the muggles had which were leaps and bounds more efficient than the stone-age ways of doing things the Ministry had seemed determined to cling to for decades, but Wonsik had not been prepared for MAPs like Jaehwan. The one he’d had while working in his previous department had been a nice old lady who’d been perfectly professional and civil. None of this wicked grin-flirty wink-’baby’ ‘honey’ ‘cutie’ stuff. The idea that he might be attracted to a MAP had never occurred to him before and now it was consuming his every waking moment.

“I’m back! Did you miss me?” Jaehwan beamed. 

“Yeah,” Wonsik answered, only because he knew by now that if he said ‘no’ Jaehwan would pout and that was something he was still unable to deal with without embarrassing himself.

“Really?” Jaehwan’s smile widened even further. “I got all the information you wanted. Tell me I’m a good boy. Please? Tell me I’m a good boy?”

Wonsik nearly swallowed his own tongue.

“You… did good,” was all he could bring himself to say to a torrent of protest from Jaehwan about being praised  _ properly _ and Wonsik prayed that if nothing else, his silencing charms around his cubicle worked the way they’re supposed to, so the moment Sanghyuk from next door’s head popped over the divider between their desks Wonsik nearly had a heart attack. 

“Want to go for dinner later, hyung?”

“Oh, sure,” Wonsik smiled, relieved and glad for the invite. He’d been there two weeks only and was still getting to know everyone, so he was grateful to be thought of. “Who-”

“Did you just get asked out on a date, baby?”

Sanghyuk and Wonsik both stilled at Jaehwan’s question, Sanghyuk in rapidly-growing amusement and Wonsik in horror. 

“No!” Wonsik answered, wondering why he’s so worried his MAP thinks he’s going on a date. “Other people are going, right?”

“Sure, baby,” Sanghyuk answered casually, the devil light in his eyes. “About four more of us.”

Jaehwan pouted. “Why does he get to call you ‘baby’ too?”

Sanghyuk raised his eyebrows, waiting for Wonsik to answer and clearly enjoying himself before Wonsik got up and took Sanghyuk by the arm to pull him over to his own cubicle.

“Your MAP calls you ‘baby’, hyung?” Sanghyuk asked in a gleefully hushed voice, looking like he wanted to burst out laughing. “What the hell?”

“I don’t know why, okay?” Wonsik ran a harried hand through his hair, feeling the strange need to defend Jaehwan and play the whole thing down. “He’s just playful.”

“We can probably get your MAP re-charmed if it’s getting too weird,” Sanghyuk told him, and Wonsik blinked. 

“Re-charmed?”

“Yeah. Change the MAP’s attitude to something more professional.”

Wonsik nodded. “I see. Uh-huh. Yeah. I’ll get back to you on that. Yeah. Thanks.”

“Bye, baby,” Sanghyuk smiled sweetly, and Wonsik began to contemplate how Sanghyuk calling him ‘baby’ made him want to pour a bucket of water over his friend but Jaehwan calling him ‘baby’ in that honey voice he had made Wonsik want the bucket of water for himself. Preferably cold. 

“You’re back, darling,” Jaehwan said when Wonsik sat back down at his own cubicle, though he wasn’t smiling. “Did I get you in trouble?”

“No, no, you didn’t,” Wonsik answered, watching the smile slowly creep back onto Jaehwan’s face like the sunrise peeking over the horizon. “Listen - what if I went on a date, though?”

“With whom?” Jaehwan’s pout was back.

“Anyone. Someone from the office. Would you - would you be jealous?”

“Maybe,” Jaehwan huffed. “But then… I’m just a MAP,” he continued, looking so sad that Wonsik’s heart lurched. 

“I”m not going on a date,” Wonsik reassured Jaehwan, and the sunshine smile inched back onto his face by degrees. 

“That’s right, because you’re mine,” Jaehwan winked, and then vanished a second before the clocking-out bell rang. 

Wonsik sat back in his chair at the sounds of the people around him packing up, feeling like he had butterflies for lungs. 

*

“We’re destined to be apart,” Wonsik wailed, waving his arms so the beer in the bottle he was still holding sloshed over and only nearly missed Sanghyuk who was attempting to drag him up the street after their post-dinner nightcap. 

“If I’d known I’d have to babysit a complete lightweight I wouldn’t have had anything to drink at all so I could apparate you home,” Sanghyuk grumbled, volume increasing over Wonsik’s drunk despair. 

“I think I love him, Hyukkie,” Wonsik gasped, and Sanghyuk rolled his eyes. 

“Who?”

“Jaehwan. I love him. I want to be with him. He makes my heart do jumpy things.”

“Right. Not sure you wanted to come out to me exactly in this manner, but it’s too late for that. Who is Jaehwan?”

“My MAP,” Wonsik smiled sappily at Sanghyuk. “He calls me baby.”

“Your  _ MAP _ ? The MAP we were talking about? You’re in love with your MAP?? Hyung, it’s a mirror!”

“Don’t talk about him that way!” Wonsik frowned. “He has feelings.”

“I can’t handle this,” Sanghyuk muttered. “If only Hakyeon hyung hadn’t left earlier.”

“I love his smile,” Wonsik sighed. “He has such a great smile. You should come and see tomorrow. When he’s smiling. So you can see it.”

“He’s a  _ mirror _ , hyung. An object. He’s not human. You can’t be in love with something that is not alive.”

“Watch me!” Wonsik shook Sanghyuk off, offended at the direction the conversation was taking and determined to make it home by himself. That’ll show Sanghyuk. 

He took one step and fell over. 

Sanghyuk let his head fall back and sighed deeply. “Why are all my friends so weird?” 

*

It was mainly the hangover which his hangover potion hadn’t managed to cure totally, but if Wonsik was being honest he knew his bad mood was also due to the fact that he’d inadvertently told Sanghyuk that not only was he not straight, he was also in love with a charmed object. Which he still hadn’t fully come to terms with, sober. Jaehwan seemed to notice that he wasn’t up to much banter this morning and had stuck to only one or two terms of affection and was speaking to him in an extra-gentle voice which to be very fair wasn’t really helping things. He wanted to - no, he didn’t know what he wanted. He wanted things to be less complicated.

“Hey, hyung,” Sanghyuk said, appearing over their shared divider and resting his chin on it. 

“Hey,” Wonsik answered, voice rueful. He’d been dreading this all morning. “Look, I’m sorry you had to bring me home last night. And-” he steeled himself, “please just forget about whatever I said to you. I know it’s ridiculous, and I’m sorry you had to hear all that-”

Sanghyuk folded his arms and brought them up to the divider so he could rest his chin on them. “Hyung, it’s okay.”

“What part?” Wonsik asked cautiously, which made Sanghyuk laugh. 

“All of it.  _ That  _ too,” Sanghyuk made meaningful eyes at the mirror on Wonsik’s table. “You’re a weirdo. That’s okay.”

Wonsik made a face and was about to retort before Sanghyuk began to laugh again. “Teasing you, hyung. I may not understand it totally, but - whatever makes you happy. And he clearly does.”

Wonsik frowned. “Clearly..?” 

“Let’s just say you talk a lot when you’re drunk,” Sanghyuk grinned, walking over into Wonsik’s cubicle. “Jaehwan? Hey, Jaehwan?”

Jaehwan’s beaming face greeted them on the mirror’s surface. “Hello, cutie. Hello, friend of cutie, who is not too bad himself. Who are you?”

“I’m Sanghyuk. I’m Wonsik hyung’s colleague. Tell me something, Jaehwan.” 

Wonsik’s eyes widened. “Wait-”

“My hyung here kinda likes you. A lot, actually-” Wonsik more or less tackled Sanghyuk and in a strange re-enaction of last night, started dragging him away and out of Wonsik’s cubicle. “What are you afraid of, hyung!”

Wonsik deposited Sanghyuk firmly in his own chair with a warning look - which to be fair to Sanghyuk was like a pomeranian trying to intimidate a samoyed - and did a few interpretive dances of despair before going back into his own cubicle, trying to appear calm and collected. 

“You like me?” Jaehwan piped up excitedly the moment he saw Wonsik. “Really? You like me?”

Wonsik bit his own tongue to stay quiet until he had sat down and taken a few breaths. “It appears so.”

“You’re blushing,” Jaehwan grinned. “You really do like me.”

Wonsik made a strangled noise of assent. 

“How wonderful,” Jaehwan smiled serenely. “I like you too, baby.”

Wonsik let out a long, slow breath, feeling like many many small ants with tap-dancing all over his body. “How is this ever going to work out?”

“Why not?” Jaehwan replied indignantly. “I’m cute, you’re cute. I like you, you like me. Where’s the difficulty?”

Wonsik had to laugh. “You’re right.. baby.” 

Jaehwan’s squeal of pleasure was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (and then wonsik discovers the exciting new human field of robotics and builds himself a jaehwan robot to insert jaehwan's consciousness into ahem but that's a whole other fic)


	5. 'kidnapped by magical golden-hearted thieves - leohyuk'

Sanghyuk bolted upright in bed, taking a few moments to wake up fully and get his bearings. He knew he hadn’t dreamed that extra-loud thud coming from - the hall? If it had been loud enough to wake him up it had to be  _ something _ . And given that it was - Sanghyuk grabbed his phone from under his pillow - past three a.m. in the morning, it definitely was something. 

Heart pounding, Sanghyuk threw off the covers and looked down at himself. Should he put on a shirt? What do you wear to wrangle with robbers in the dead of night? Boxers will have to do. Or should he put on sweatpants? And what about a weapon?

Sanghyuk opened the door to his bedroom as slowly as he dared, hoping it wouldn’t squeak, before looking outside. Nothing. Ducking quickly into the bathroom he stared urgently at his array of toiletries and toilet cleaning products, grabbing the only two things that could possibly be of any use to him in this situation. The element of surprise was a thing, right?

Grasping tightly his can of deodorant and toilet brush in each hand, Sanghyuk inched his way down the short corridor towards the small living room and kitchen. His heart was banging so insistently in his chest he could hardly hear anything over it but hear he did - people whispering. There was more than one person in his living room - should he just jump out at them? Or wait and see what they were going to do? What if they had knives or something and he should have just stayed in his bedroom and let them take whatever they wanted oh god but  _ no _ no damn thieves were getting their hands on his laptop or PS4-

A plaintive meow followed by much shushing came from the living room and Sanghyuk’s eyes widened. Nyangnyang!

Sanghyuk took a deep breath and strode out into the living room, flicking on the light switch as he did and brandishing his weapons. 

“Get out of my fucking house, assholes!” he roared first and looked later, and the sight of three shell-shocked men in dark-coloured hanbok -  _ hanbok _ ? - standing in his living room, one holding his silver tabby Nyangnyang, greeted him. Sanghyuk gasped. 

“Let go of my cat!”

“Please calm down,” one of the men not holding Nyangnyang said, hands out placatingly. “We’re not here to hurt you.”   


“You’re stealing my cat!”

“We are - uh, well, yes, we’re stealing your cat, but it’s not what it looks like. He’s not your cat.”

“Let go of him!” Sanghyuk yelled, not caring if the neighbours heard. He  _ hoped _ the neighbours heard and called the police on these fucking cat-nabbers.

“Please stop shouting,” the one holding Nyangnyang pleaded. “It’s really not good for my nerves.”

“ _ Your nerves? _ ” Sanghyuk demanded. “What about breaking into my house-” Sanghyuk’s brain belatedly registered the open living room window, seven stories up, and mentally frowned at that impossible fact - “in the middle of the night and clearly trying to steal my cat?”

“He’s not your cat,” the same guy from earlier repeated. Nyangnyang meowed, almost as if in agreement.

“Of course he is my cat,” Sanghyuk growled in frustration. “What are you-” That’s it. He’d had enough of this. Dropping his deodorant and toilet brush Sanghyuk strode over to the men and grabbed Nyangnyang, trying to pull him out of the hands of the one carrying him as gently as possible. 

“Your Highness!” the man gasped, and refused to let go. 

“Charm him, Sikkie!” one of the other two urged frantically. “We can’t deal with this, we have to go!”

“I can’t, I might hit His Highness. And I don’t want to hurt the poor guy!”

_ Who the fuck are they calling Your Highness? _ , Sanghyuk thought distractedly, intent on getting his cat away from these lunatics and struggling harder with the man who’s holding on to Nyangnyang just as desperately, barely ten centimetres away from him. 

“Oh, for - come  _ on! _ ” 

The four - five, including Nyangnyang - of them disappear into thin air.

*

Sanghyuk landed ungracefully onto - is that  _ grass?! -  _  and lost his balance, going down hard. He rolled onto all fours, in pain and feeling sick like he’d been punched repeatedly in the gut.

“Just breathe, it’ll pass. Feeling like that is normal if you’re not used to the portal,” someone patted him on the back as Sanghyuk struggled not to throw up. 

“Who is  _ that? _ ” a voice demanded in the background, and Sanghyuk blearily looked up. Trees, a clearing, a campfire, and yet another man in hanbok. Fantastic. Sanghyuk had completely lost his mind, or this was a hell of a crazily realistic nightmare.

“He grabbed His Highness and wouldn’t let go,” one of the original hanbok-ed guys protested. “I panicked and brought him with us.”

“Are you out of your mind, Jaehwan? What are we supposed to do with him?”

“We can just send him back to his world-”

“You  _ know _ how long it took Bin to ready the ritual to open the portal from here to that world. We won’t be able to do this again for a week!”

“Will somebody tell me what the  _ fuck  _ is going on?” Sanghyuk yelled, and the four hanbok-wearing wonders went silent.

“He sure cusses a lot,” one said disapprovingly. 

“Yeah. He shouts a lot, too.”

“Well  _ I _ would shout and cuss if the same thing happened to me,” the new one gestured in Sanghyuk’s direction, making Sanghyuk feel strangely vindicated. “Brought to a completely different dimension half-naked, finding out his cat isn’t actually a cat-”

“Different dimension?” Sanghyuk asked weakly. 

The one that hadn’t been in his house stealing his apparently not-a-cat cat crouched down in front of him, looking sympathetic. 

“I’m Hakyeon. The three idiots over there are Jaehwan, Hongbin and Wonsik. You probably have a lot of questions.”

Sanghyuk nodded dumbly. 

“We’re - how do I explain this to you? We’re relocators of precious things.”

“He means we’re thieves,” the one Hakyeon had introduced as Hongbin said, rolling his eyes. “Also for the record, I’m not an idiot. These two are, though.”

“We not just any old kind of thieves,” Hakyeon corrects Hongbin with a look. “We’re specialists. And this time our job was to steal something very important.”

As if on cue, they all turn to look at Nyangnyang, still nestled in Jaehwan’s arms.

“My cat?” Sanghyuk asked, in a daze.

“Hold that thought,” Hakyeon winked at him. “Binnie, time to shine.”

Jaehwan put Nyangnyang very carefully down onto the forest floor and Hongbin took out a pouch from inside his clothes, upending the powder within all over Nyangnyang. Sanghyuk was almost about to protest once Nyangnyang started sneezing violently but what happened the next instant made him bite his tongue hard.

Nyangnyang, the silver tabby he’d taken in and loved as his own flesh and blood for the past three years was no more. In his place was a tall naked man the others rushed to cover up with a cloak, bowing once they’d put it on him and helped him to his shaky feet. 

Sanghyuk had no words for this. Absolutely none. 

“Nyangnyang?” he whispered, utterly broken.

Hongbin burst out laughing and then clapped a hand over his own mouth, man!Nyangnyang turning around to glare at him before looking at Sanghyuk and sighing. 

“Hi?” man!Nyangnyang said, holding out his hand to Sanghyuk. 

*

“So you’re actually a prince,” Sanghyuk recounted, now wrapped up in his own cloak and sitting near the fire, drinking a mug of something they’d given him that was pleasantly warming his insides. “That had to run away because some evil warlock was trying to kill you. And so the safest thing for you was to be hidden in another dimension in a disguise, which apparently was a cat, for some reason. And then you wandered into my apartment block and decided to let me keep you.”

“Pretty much,” man!Nyangnyang said. 

“Am I dead?” Sanghyuk turned to Wonsik and asked. “Is this some kind of insane afterlife?”

Wonsik shrugged. “It’s the truth. He’s our prince, Taekwoon. We’re going to have to think about how to help him take back his throne and everything, but you don’t have to worry about that. We’ll send you home as soon as we can.”

Sanghyuk just stared, and then looked at the artist formerly known as Nyangnyang who’d temporarily forgotten himself and was trying to lick his paws clean before he stopped mid-lick in embarrassment. 

“Being human again will take some getting used to for him,” Hakyeon said kindly. “Hopefully sooner than later.”

“Dude,” Sanghyuk huffed. “You slept in my bed with me. You used to  _ sit _ in the bathroom while I - you used to climb all over me wanting to be petted and held when I came home from school-”

Four pairs of eyes turned to Taekwoon. 

“That’s what cats do!” Taekwoon protested, red-faced. 

“Can’t say I blame him, kid’s hot,” Hongbin murmured into his mug, smirking when Wonsik elbowed him hard in the ribs. Sanghyuk’s own face burned thinking of how for the better part of the evening these people had seen him in nothing but his boxers.

“I feel very taken advantage of,” Sanghyuk complained.

“I’m sorry,” Taekwoon implored. “It wasn’t done on purpose to deceive you. If anything, you saved my life.”

Sanghyuk threw up his hands. “It’s crazy,” he mused. “You still kinda look like a cat now.”

“I was the prettiest cat,” Taekwoon preened. “But seriously, you could have picked a better name than dumb  _ Nyangnyang _ .”

“I seem to recall you purring every time I would say your name,” Sanghyuk shot back, needled and already on-edge. 

“That’s because I knew you were getting ready my snacks,” Taekwoon argued. 

“And purring when I would carry you? What about that?”

“I just like being adored,  _ okay? _ ”

“And licking me in bed after I cuddled with you-”

Jaehwan put up his hand. “I’m starting to feel uncomfortable.” 

“There is nothing to feel uncomfortable about!” Taekwoon yelled. 

“Why are they both so loud?” Wonsik frowned, and then moved away from the bickering with Jaehwan to start laying out their bedrolls for the night unheeded by Hongbin, who was enjoying the show, and Hakyeon, who was watching the two of them with a unimpressed raised eyebrow.

“You’re a pervert,” Sanghyuk prodded Taekwoon’s chest, who gasped in indignation.

“How dare you speak to me that way!”

“Why wouldn’t I? I only cleaned your litter box for the last three years!”

“I hate that I ever let you pet me!”

“I hate that I ever pet you in the first place!”   


Taekwoon hissed at Sanghyuk, and then closed his mouth sheepishly. 

“Good luck having this one for a prince,” Sanghyuk scoffed, and then stalked off to the other side of the fire. 

“No! You don’t get to walk away from me!  _ I _ will walk away from  _ you! _ ” Taekwoon got to his feet and followed Sanghyuk, cloak billowing out dramatically behind him.

Hakyeon pinched his brow and rubbed it. This was going to be a long week.

* 

Sanghyuk woke up in the middle of the night needing to pee and expecting a dark ceiling and bedsheets, but was greeted by foliage, a root in his back, and a warm body curled up against his. Wait- 

In shock Sanghyuk pushed up himself up quickly away from the person sleeping next to him, and the person stirred. 

Sanghyuk stared at him in the soft glow from the embers of the campfire and Taekwoon stared back, seemingly having stopped breathing.

“What are you doing?” Sanghyuk asked warily, voice still sleep-rough.

“Nothing,” Taekwoon blinked, trying to look innocent. “Sleeping. That’s what you do when the sun goes down.”

“ _ Why _ are you  _ cuddling _ with me?”

“You never complained before,” Taekwoon whined.

“You were never a grown man before!”

Taekwoon harrumphed. “I didn’t realise how hard it would be sleeping apart from you, okay? I’ve slept with you in your bed every night for the past three years. That’s not a habit I can break overnight.”

Sanghyuk blinked. “Oh.”

Taekwoon looked away, red tinging his ears, before saying all in a rush, “I appreciate how you fought when you thought they were trying to kidnap me. And I appreciate how well you took care of me all these years. Tell anyone what I just said and I will have you guillotined when I am king.”

“So you’re thankful to me but also ready to have my head cut off?”

“Yes,” Taekwoon said decisively, before laying down again. “Go pee. You always wake up at this time.”

“It is so weird to have you say that to me, I hope you know,” Sanghyuk muttered, getting to his feet.

When he returned from relieving himself behind his tree of choice Sanghyuk tried to get comfortable on the ground again avoiding the root that seemed determined to dig painfully into his back no matter where he lay. Taekwoon made a satisfied sound, scooting closer, and rubbed the top of his head against Sanghyuk’s cheek before freezing once he’d realised what he’d done.

“Guillotine,” he hissed at Sanghyuk, and then scooted in the rest of the way to tuck himself under Sanghyuk’s chin.

Sanghyuk sighed, and put an arm over Taekwoon before closing his eyes.

*

Morning saw Sanghyuk squinting up to see four faces looking down at him - and Prince Taekwoon, drooling onto Sanghyuk’s chest - with various expressions ranging from unimpressed (Hakyeon again) to very amused (Hongbin again).

Jaehwan raised his hand. “I’m uncomfortable.”

“You’re not the only one,” Sanghyuk grunted, unceremoniously pushing Taekwoon off of him. Taekwoon was awake and sitting up in an instant, looking highly affronted. 

“Excuse  _ me? _ ”

“You’re excused,” Sanghyuk nodded, and got to his feet to face Hakyeon as the other three moved away to start breakfast. “Now what? Neither of us have shoes or clothes and you said last night you can only send me back in a week. What am I supposed to do till then? You can’t abandon me, you promised,” he warned.

“Binnie’s trying to find if he can speed up the ritual process a little,” Hakyeon answered, slightly distracted by Taekwoon who had raised his hands to his face to lick them clean in his usual morning bath routine but remembered himself in mortification at the very last moment. “Till then I’m afraid you’re stuck with us. Our plan is to journey towards the capital and meet up with the rest of the committee there.”

“Committee?” Sanghyuk raised an eyebrow.

“To give him back his rightful throne,” Hakyeon lifted his chin in Taekwoon’s direction. “We don’t have many people. Most believe he was killed.”

Taekwoon cleared his throat awkwardly, and then got up to walk away, Hakyeon’s face turning sad. “Along with the rest of the royal family,” he added to Sanghyuk in an undertone. 

Sanghyuk turned to look at Taekwoon squatting down next to Wonsik with a pot as Jaehwan restarted the fire, and bit his lip. “He’s alone?”

“Family-wise, yes,” Hakyeon replied. “But he’s got us now. And you,” he continued, smiling. “Come on. I think I can transfigure you shoes out of a rock or something. And hopefully a shirt.”

**

“And then?” Sungjae asked, eyes about to fall out of their sockets.

Sanghyuk leaned back in his chair in the busy coffee shop and sighed, feeling as he’d constantly done since Hongbin had sent him back to his own dimension that he was in two places at once. 

“And then we travelled, for two days - by foot - to the capital of Taekwoon’s kingdom and it was insane. Like, think of every Assassin’s Creed game you’ve played. Or that elves’ city in Lord of the Rings. It was Korea, but in some high fantasy novel. Their hanbok was different but the same, their houses were different but the same, I - god, I wish I’d had my phone with me so I could have taken pictures. I tried to draw some of it but you know I’m shit at that. Then we all went to a safehouse and met up with the other conspirators, and started planning. They had to tell Taekwoon everything that had happened up till then and then they started trying to recruit more people and bring them to the house so they could show them that Taekwoon was still alive, and-” Sanghyuk broke off, shaking his head. “Insane.”

“So did they manage to do it?” Sungjae demanded. If he’d moved any further off the edge of his seat he’d be on the floor. 

“I don’t know,” Sanghyuk shrugged helplessly. “They sent me back before anything happened.”

“And you  _ let _ them?” Sungjae gaped in disbelief. “Are you crazy? Are you  _ stupid? _ This is the most amazing thing that has ever or will ever happen in your life and you just  _ left? _ ”

Sanghyuk jiggled his leg, trying not to let the sinking feeling in his chest of too many things left unsaid and undone bother him. “Yeah. Yeah, it wasn’t my world.”

“And you just  _ left _ Nya- Taekwoon?”

“Drop it, Jae,” Sanghyuk frowned, losing the fight with the mention of Taekwoon’s name. “There’s nothing I can do about it now.”

“Wow,” Sungjae threw himself back into his chair. “ _ Wow.  _ You should write a book. Or a webtoon, or something. This is amazing.”

Sanghyuk laughed a little, taking a sip of his coffee. “Yeah. Maybe.”

*

Sanghyuk picked up the silver tabby and tried to hold her as she struggled, and then put her down again in defeat, watching her scoot underneath the sofa in distaste at him always trying to cuddle. A cat who will not be cuddled will not be persuaded to put down their convictions.

“Why don’t you love me, Nyangnyang?” Sanghyuk pleaded, feeling like he was being caught in a lie, calling her Nyangnyang. The real Nyangnyang was long gone, and trying to replace him wasn’t being fair to this new kitty. Sanghyuk knew that, but he also was very good at ignoring his best instincts, which is why he’s back here in the human world and not with Taekwoon in his.

 

_ “So. Binnie says he’ll be able to send me back tomorrow.” _

_ Taekwoon looks around from where he’s sitting at the foot of Sanghyuk’s bed, eyes wide. “You’re still going?” _

_ “I-” Sanghyuk opens his mouth, and then closes it, throat dry. “Shouldn’t I?” _

_ Taekwoon just looks at him like he is trying to pierce Sanghyuk’s soul before getting off the bed and coming to stand in front of Sanghyuk. “What if I asked you to stay?” _

_ Sanghyuk takes a breath.  _

_ “Taekwoon, I don’t think this is a good idea.” _

_ “Do you hate me that much? I’m sorry I kissed you. I wasn’t - clearly I wasn’t reading any signals right. Is that why you won’t stay? Because I kissed you? I won’t apologise for being in love with you.” _

_ Sanghyuk takes another steadying breath. “You were my cat. You’re not actually in love with me.” _

_ “You’re telling me how I feel, now? ” _

_ “You’re going to be king, Taekwoon.” _

_ “And so?” _

_ “I’m not part of this world. I have a home, a family-” _

_ Taekwoon’s face shutters, and Sanghyuk immediately reaches out to him before snatching back his hands. Taekwoon’s face hardens even further.  _

_ “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” _

_ “No, I’m sorry,” Taekwoon says after a long, uncomfortable pause. “You’re right. You belong at home. With your family. _

_ It’s funny,” Taekwoon continues, now turned away from Sanghyuk. “When you first took me in I told myself I wouldn’t get too attached to you.” _

 

“Argh,” Sanghyuk growled at the memory, replayed thousands of times now in the three months it’s been since he’d been sent back and decided to just go drown his sorrows in beer. It was  _ stupid _ , dwelling on something that he could not change, and moreover it had been the right decision. Whether Taekwoon had really been in love with him or not wasn’t important. He had a kingdom to take back and then to run, and there was no place for Sanghyuk in any part of that, no matter how dangerously near to admitting to himself that Sanghyuk was on the path to falling hard as well. A few more weeks together and it would have been a lost cause; Taekwoon was so strangely - attractive. He was ridiculous and dramatic and unintentionally funny but also soft and vulnerable and sweet and every time he came to Sanghyuk at night to cuddle - because he hadn’t ‘broken his habit yet’ which they both knew was a lie - Sanghyuk had to fight harder and harder to stay calm and not let Taekwoon hear his pounding heart as Taekwoon curled up comfortably by his side.

“ARGH!!” Sanghyuk yelled at the ceiling and then proceeded to get himself royally drunk; which is why when Hakyeon and Jaehwan opened his living room window and climbed into his house six beers and two hours later Sanghyuk barely bat an eyelid. 

“Hey!” he welcomed them happily, waving his can of beer. “What a nice surprise! Come in, come in.”

“Are you drunk?” Hakyeon raised his characteristically unimpressed eyebrow, and Sanghyuk mimicked him. 

“Yes, I am,” Sanghyuk beamed. “You want one? Jyan?”

“I was hoping to find you sober,” Hakyeon frowned. “I need to talk to you.”

“Go ahead, my good man,” Sanghyuk replied magnanimously, making Hakyeon roll his eyes and walk over, grabbing Sanghyuk by the top of his head. 

“Hey, what-” Sanghyuk began, but quickly shut up as an icy feeling began to trickle into his body from Hakyeon’s hand, like he was being bathed in a glacier. In a matter of seconds he was forcibly un-drunk, gasping hard at the wide-awake sensation. 

“I need that for my Monday eight a.m. lectures,” he muttered, trying to get used to the feeling that even his eyeballs had been scrubbed clean. “Okay. I’m sober. What’s so important you had to make the journey over here?”

“The king is pining for you,” Hakyeon declared, folding his arms in front of him. 

“It’s making me very uncomfortable,” Jaehwan added.

“Wait - the  _ king _ ? You guys succeeded?” Sanghyuk asked, getting to his feet in excitement and totally ignoring the rest of Hakyeon’s sentence. “That’s great!”

Hakyeon allowed himself a momentary grin or triumph, and then became serious again. “And now we need you.”

“Why?” Sanghyuk balked, trying not to panic. 

“Taekwoon is  _ useless _ . We keep finding him staring mournfully out of windows or writing extremely terrible poetry. You have to come back.”

“He’s king! He could have anybody he wants!” Sanghyuk protested, starting to pace around his living room only to be followed by Hakyeon and Jaehwan like they were a line of ducklings chasing after their mother.

“He wants  _ you _ . What’s the problem? You don’t feel the same?”

“Ye-no.”

“Yeno? What sort of answer is that?” Jaehwan pressed.

“I can’t like him back, okay?”

“And why not?”

“You can’t fall in love with someone in just a week! That’s crazy! Who does that? We’re just going to end up divorced!”

“Divorced?” Hakyeon stopped abruptly. “I didn’t mean go back and straight away  _ marry  _ him. You want to marry him?”

“No!” Sanghyuk yelled. “Yes! No!”

“He’s yelling again,” Jaehwan told Hakyeon.

“What are you so afraid of, Sanghyuk?” Hakyeon asked, frowning. 

“I’m afraid of being in love with my cat!” Sanghyuk bellowed. 

Hakyeon just stared at him, and Jaehwan leaned in after a few moment’s silence.

“I’m starting to feel very un-”

“ _ Yes _ , Jaehwan, thank you,” Hakyeon glared. “Sanghyuk, shut up. Go pack a few changes of clothes and stop being an idiot. You’re coming with us.”

**

_ Dear Sungjae, _

_ By the time you get this I’m not sure how much more time will have passed, but - lol. Uh, I went back? I took your advice, and went back, and I stayed. Taekwoon (formerly Nyangnyang) is now King Taekwoon (King Nyangnyang) andddd which makes me - I have no fucking idea, because I know I’m not also a king but I’m also not a queen _

Taekwoon laughed and nipped Sanghyuk’s ear as he read the letter over Sanghyuk’s shoulder.

“You’re the king’s consort. That’s your official title,” Taekwoon told him, kneading Sanghyuk’s shoulders. “I’m glad you’re finally writing to him. He must be going crazy wondering what happened to you all these months.”

“I just had no idea what to say, earlier,” Sanghyuk shrugged, tilting his head back so Taekwoon could drop a kiss on his mouth. “How exactly do you go from ‘hey, my cat is actually a human’ to ‘yeah I’m going to be marrying that human in a month and he’s also the king of a country in a different dimension’?”

Taekwoon made a face. “You could just bring him here and show him.”

“I think I’ll let him beg a little first,” Sanghyuk grinned. 

Taekwoon rubbed their cheeks together as Sanghyuk pulled him into Sanghyuk’s lap. “This is crazy, huh?”

Sanghyuk kissed him. “As long as I don’t think too much about you being previously my cat.”

“I think that just makes you a furry.”

“ _ Don’t _ go there,” Sanghyuk warned. “I’m in love with human-you. Not cat-you. And if Hakyeon hadn’t dragged me back here and thrown us both in a room together shouting ‘you like each other! Stop being stupid!’ maybe this wouldn’t even be happening.”

“You are a stubborn ass,” Taekwoon nodded. “But it’s also not your fault I’m so attractive.”

“Thanks for marrying me, then,” Sanghyuk replied sarcastically.

“You’re welcome,” Taekwooon smiled. “I think you’ll like it a lot.”

“We shall see,” Sanghyuk answered darkly, making Taekwoon bite him hard on the nose. 

**


End file.
